How the "Avatar" mastermind earned his reputation as one of the most notorious ego-maniacs in Hollywood
James Cameron poses with his award for best motion picture - drama for "Avatar" at the 67th annual Golden Globe Awards.
(Reuters/Corbis/Lucy Nicholson)
After its Golden Globes' triumph, James Cameron's "Avatar" is the clear favorite to clean up at the Oscars next month. But Hollywood insiders are already dreading the director's inevitable acceptance speech: Cameron's reputation for saying whatever he wants is legendary, especially when it comes to his own genius or his bodily needs. Here, nine of his most outspoken declarations:
1. On his willingness to interact with an "Avatar" fan:
"I don't owe you a f*cking signature. Just get out of my f*cking personal space."
—Caught on tape as Cameron was leaving the LAX airport (2010)
2. On the relative importance of his bladder:
"I'm going try to make this as brief as I can, because frankly, I have to pee something fierce."
—While accepting the "Best Director" award at this year's Golden Globes (2010)
3. On the pointlessness of asking him to direct a movie he didn't write:
"I don't look at scripts. I just write them."
—Attributed to Cameron by IMDB (circa 1988)
4. On the humbling experience of selling three scripts within months of each other:
"I haven't paid for lunch in two weeks."
—In reference to his success with "Terminator," "Rambo," and "Aliens" (circa 1983)
5. On why men prefer fantasy heroines to their wives and girlfriends:
"A big recalibration happens when [men are] forced to deal with real women. Let's face it: real women are complicated."
—From a "Playboy" interview destined to rank very low among feminists' favorite "Playboy" interviews (2009)
6. On his vision for Neytiri, Avatar's female heroine:
"Right from the beginning, I said, she's got to have tits."
—From the same "Playboy" Q&A (2009)
7. On his love for cinema:
"I made 'Titanic' because I wanted to dive to the shipwreck, not because I particularly wanted to make the movie… I said, I'll make a Hollywood movie to pay for an expedition… 'Titanic' was about f*ck you money."
—From the same "Playboy" Q&A (2009)
8. On winning the "Best Director" Oscar for "Titanic":
"I'm the king of the world…whooooo!"
—Irrefutable proof, say some, of Cameron's "celebrity hubris" (1998)
9. On his willingness to spread the gospel of self-congratulation:
"We all have the best job in the world. Give it up! Give it up for yourselves!"
—While accepting the Best Drama Golden Globe for "Avatar" (2010)
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